CLEARWATER, Fla. - The Western Michigan softball team put back-to-back wins together for the first time this season, defeating Loyola-Marymount, 4-3, and Bethune-Cookman, a 2010 NCAA Tournament participant, 5-1, in the nightcap. A pair of three-run innings catapulted WMU to the win each game to make the Broncos 3-1 at the Under Armour Invitational hosted by the University of South Florida.
After Loyola posted a run in the first, WMU got on the board due to a bases loaded walk. Christina Pigozzi drew the RBI walk, scoring Michelle Bendewald who led off the inning with a base hit to center field. The Broncos' big inning came in the third, scoring three runs on two hits.
Courtney Rousseau led off the inning with a walk and stole second. She advanced to third on Kayla Houston's sac bunt. Gracie Barstad drove in Rousseau on a base hit up the middle. Tara Buchanan took care of the rest with a two-run home run, her first collegiate home run.
Loyola answered with runs in the third and the seventh but struck out looking with the bases empty to preserve WMU's one-run victory. Houston pitched the complete game, striking out four in the process.
The Broncos came back with a 5-1 win against Bethune-Cookman on Saturday night. WMU scored a run in both the first and second innings with Rousseau scoring from third on a fielding error and Lexi Jager scoring on Myranda McDonald's ground out after drawing a walk to lead off the second inning.
Bethune-Cookman cut WMU's lead in half with a run in the sixth but the Broncos broke the game open with three runs in the top of the seventh. Houston singled up the middle to lead off the seventh and McDonald followed by being hit by a pitch. Diana Patterson singled down the left field line to load the bases. Pigozzi came through with a two-RBI double, scoring pinch runner Courtney Burnett and McDonald. Buchanand collected her third RBI of the day with a ground out, bringing Rousseau home.
Western Michigan closes out the Under Armour Invitational on Sunday at 12 p.m. against the College of Charleston.
